Obama's philosophy reflected in SD neighborhoods

Lately, though, he’s been troubled by perhaps a more daunting threat. Buried in serious debt and facing an uncertain business climate, he filed for bankruptcy. His home in Chula Vista was recently foreclosed on, he says. But that hasn’t dimmed his hopes for the future.

Obama’s San Diego connection and operation

•Obama in recent years has made at least three visits to San Diego, including fundraisers at Birch Aquarium and at the La Jolla home of Elizabeth and Mason Phelps. Last November, the president stood at center court at the Carrier Classic basketball game on the deck of the Coronado-based aircraft carrier Carl Vinson and praised the sailors, alluding to the ship’s role in the burial at sea of Osama bin Laden.

• Obama’s first local campaign office was recently opened at 4660 El Cajon Blvd. in San Diego.

“Things are unpredictable. Business is unpredictable,” he says, adding that he believes the politics of Romney and his running mate Rep. Paul Ryan, which he cast as a continuation of Bush’s failed policies, are not the answer. With a son at University of California Santa Barbara and a daughter still to attend college, Sikder sees the president’s health care overhaul and his efforts to help student borrowers and their parents in sync with his own values.

“We want the whole country, not just ourselves, to go up,” he says.

The catalyst of this neighborhood becoming a social and cultural hub is often traced to the $12 million public-private refurbishment of the North Park Theatre. The project, which culminated in late 2005, essentially called for rebuilding the two-story structure at University Avenue at 29th Street.

Many civic leaders and residents view the restoration to the building erected in 1928 by Emil Klicka as a commitment to the community’s heritage. The theater was renamed the Stephen and Mary Birch North Park Theatre to honor the Birch Foundation’s $1 million donation. Its adjoining West Coast Tavern was among the eateries that cemented the area as a minor mecca for restaurants and night life.

Critics have had a field day with Obama’s line: “If you’ve got a business, you didn’t build that. Somebody else made that happen.”

But his broader context with that comment — that government and society helped businesses and communities make it happen with roads, infrastructure and loans — fits well with North Park.

Residents point to further government influence through redevelopment in turning around their neighborhoods: condos, townhouses, commercial venues and affordable housing have been completed through public-private efforts with tens of millions of dollars in redevelopment money. The 555-acre project area is bounded by Interstate 805, Park Boulevard, Adams Avenue and Upas Street. Of particular interest was revitalization of the El Cajon Boulevard and University Avenue corridors.

The construction boom coincided with the formation of a maintenance assessment district that works to engage in promotion, beautification and retention and expansion of small businesses here, according to the city.

One such business aided by a busier, cleaner commercial district is Fatboy’s Corner Store & Deli. The owner, Andre Brikho, opened a check-cashing store at the current location on University Avenue about eight years ago. In late 2009, the son of an Iraqi Chaldean immigrant added the delicatessen that now sells everything from tobacco to greeting cards.